It starts with an introduction. We meet two people separately. Then a meeting takes place. The two characters get to know each other under memorable circumstances. Then comes falling in love. The chemistry between the characters increases, their relationship grows. But then conflict arises. An obstacle comes in their path that puts them in direct opposition. The distance between them becomes too great and leads to a rift. But then they find each other again. And so the story has a happy ending.

This is the structure of the romantic comedy: the most profitable genre of fiction with the worst reputation. Romcoms are predictable, create unrealistic expectations about love and represent stereotypical gender relations. Do the characters break up or stay together? Who cares in a world plagued by ecological disasters, economic inflation and growing social inequality.

But romantic comedies are also the ideal place to explore how we communicate with each other, how we expose ourselves and the norms and values that go with that. It is a world where we are urged to create higher and better expectations for ourselves and for others, where we can dream of a scenario where love ultimately conquers all.

In this performance, Chloë Onyinye, Goele Derick, Sara Haeck & Bart Hollanders rehearse a romantic comedy together. During rehearsals they are confronted with their own desires, fantasies and press versions. They think about what romance means to them: how do you love, how vulnerable do you dare to be and how do you make contact?

Waarover ik fantaseer als ik over de liefde fantaseer is a creation in the context of ‘the fellow STANders’, an initiative in which young makers develop a performance under the wings of STAN. Jolente De Keersmaeker and Damiaan De Schrijver will be closely involved in the creation process of What I fantasize about…, so that the performance can develop in harmony with the DNA of the company.